Card's author : Frédéric Renier, Supagro Florac, Outils-Réseaux

Card's type of licence : Creative Commons BY-SA

To begin with :

Freeplane is a free software application which can be settled locally on the PC (Mac, Windows and Linux). It allows the creation of mind maps and their html export in a webpage.
a heuristic map is a mind map.

Keywords :

Tool's boxes : Mind map

Introduction :

To start a mind map, the topic of reflection is placed in the centre. For each new idea linked to the topic, a branch is created and the idea is written in a node. Then the branch is developed by creating secondary branches.? - When all the ideas are on the map, it's time to format it, to add icons, drawings or images, to choose colours for each branch. The more formatted and illustrated, the more understandable and easy to remember it will be.?
To translate visually the hierarchy of ideas, we generally go from the general (written large and in the centre) to the specific (written smaller and smaller as we move away from the centre) .
With mind maps both cerebral hemispheres work in synergy. Association and imagination process peculiar to thinking can notably be used. Having to locate a concept somewhere on the map forces to think about the other concepts.
A mind map to discover mind maps

Requirements : None, this kind of idea's presentation is appreciated or not.

Some practical uses :

In a group the mind map can help to show the diversity in opinions. It notably allows to show antagonistic ideas.
Brainstorming.
Report, book, site map writing. Freeplane enables the export to or from an Openoffice map.
Memorization
Writing of an abstract
Managing a plan (for example by using the advanced function of filters and attributes)??
Testimonies about the use of mind maps in occupational environment on the site of the French heuristic school

Using the tools :

Going further :

Advantages :

It is a tool which enables to show a problem's complexity
There are numerous online resources about mind maps (how to use, examples, tricks...)

Drawbacks : Freeplane is a software with numerous functions, which can be difficult to handle.

Licence : Open sources, Free

Using : It could be easier but also more complicated

Setting up : Easy